Leviticus 22:31-32 (NLT) “You must faithfully keep all my commands by putting them into practice, for I am the Lord. Do not bring shame on my holy name, for I will display my holiness among the people of Israel. I am the Lord who makes you holy."

The Book of Leviticus is one of the five books of the Bible known as the Pentateuch, written by Moses. It is a book that contains all of the laws, both moral and ceremonial, as well as commands, instructions and regulations to be followed regarding sacrifices, vows, how to treat one another as fellow Israelites and how to treat widows, orphans and foreigners. Among all of those commands, regulations and laws we find the call to holiness, which is found throughout the book. The God of the Old Testament is a holy God and He commanded the exiles coming out of Egypt to be holy (Leviticus 19:1 and many other places). It seemed that the Israelites had quite a load to carry.

Today, thank the Lord, we are in the age of grace, where the grace of God was displayed through the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth to die as a sacrifice for our sins. We are no longer under the written law but are under the law of grace that says that we have been saved through faith and not from anything that we have done. It's not by any good deeds or works so that no one can take credit for their salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). That's awesome, but what about holiness? It's still required! (See 1 Peter 1:14-16) Many Christians today think that they have a free ride into heaven, not having to worry about living right. But here is the thing, if you truly have been saved by receiving Jesus into your heart, you will change to the point that you will begin to live right because Christ lives in you. If you don't, then you must examine yourself. If your life does not look different from before you received Christ Jesus into your heart, then something is amiss.

The truth is that when Jesus comes into your life, He begins to make awesome changes in you, not just on the outside but especially on the inside. He changes your heart and renews your mind. You don't stay the same by any stretch of the imagination. It's not you that changes yourself, but God who causes it to happen in you through the Holy Spirit. Just as in the verse above where God said that He is “the Lord that makes you Holy," He still is saying it today. Whether it's the Old Testament or the New Testament, God remains the same. He is a holy God reaching out to a sinful people and while He requires holiness, it is He who perfects that holiness in us when we surrender our lives to Him. Know that you must be holy as you follow Jesus. But know also (and be relieved) that it is Jesus in you that makes you holy. Give Him full control of your life so that you will meet this very important command because it will be for your own benefit and for the benefit of the people that you love, not to mention everyone that you come in contact with. Be holy. It's what God commands and requires and makes happen in your life when you allow Him to.

Pastor Joey Vazquez